Football

Injured WR Daymond Patterson to take red shirt

So far, Kansas University wide receiver Daymond Patterson’s senior year has not gone according to plan.

Good thing he’ll get another.

Wednesday night, after the team’s second practice of the bye week, KU coach Turner Gill announced that Patterson would take a red shirt this season because of a groin injury he suffered in the season-opening victory against McNeese State.

“We thought it was going to be a little bit better this week, but it looks like it’s going to linger a little bit,” Gill said. “Because he’ll probably miss four or five games, I think it’s just smarter for our football team, and also for him, to make sure he has a solid senior year.”

Because he played in just one half this season, Patterson’s application for a medical red shirt should be a slam dunk. Gill likes the idea of having Patterson back a second time in 2012.

“It’s nothing but good,” Gill said. “He’s a guy with a lot of experience. He’s played a lot of football, and he’s going to help, even this year, as far as being able to teach some of the younger guys. Obviously, we’re going to miss him, but it’s another opportunity for somebody else, and it’s going to make us stronger next season.”

After leading the KU wide receivers in receptions, yards and touchdowns in 2010, Patterson got off to a fast start this year, scoring the team’s first receiving touchdown of the season. Not long after, he injured his groin after being tackled awkwardly and has not been able to return to 100 percent since.

Offensive coordinator Chuck Long said losing Patterson’s veteran presence would be missed. But he said he was confident the senior from Mesquite, Texas, would find a way to impact the team.

“In talking to (wide receivers) coach (David) Beaty, I asked him, ‘How’s he been in the (meeting) room?’ because it’s tough not playing,” Long said. “And he said he’s been really good in the room. And that’s the first silver lining you get out of it.”

T-shirts don’t irk Jayhawks

Early this week, the Georgia Tech athletic department printed T-shirts to commemorate the Yellow Jackets’ record-setting performance in their 66-24 victory against Kansas last week.

Asked Wednesday if they had any reaction to the shirts, the Jayhawks seemed fine with Tech celebrating their school and national records.

“I heard about it,” red-shirt freshman safety Keeston Terry said. “I saw a little link to it. But when you accomplish something like that, you gotta boast about it and be proud about what you did. It’s just unfortunate that we were on the opposite side of a record they set.”

Added red-shirt freshman cornerback Dexter McDonald: “I haven’t seen the shirts, but I overhead something about them. After you lose, anything can be motivation. You’re gonna take it to heart if you care.”

Although he didn’t know if the shirts would serve as extra motivation, Long said he learned a lesson about stuff like that a long time ago.

“This football world is a small world,” Long said. “I had an old mentor tell me one time, ‘You’re gonna run into these people again.’ And, in my coaching career, I have. But those are things that you remember. I’m not for that, but those are things that happen.”

Dorsey to return?

With injuries knocking out quite a few players already this season, the Jayhawks may be turning the corner in that department with regard to senior defensive lineman Patrick Dorsey.

“He has a chance to be available,” Gill said of the lineman who missed the first three games because of an injured foot. “We’ll see how he practices here in the next few days.”

Grimes to be enshrined

In addition to reviewing game film and working to get better, KU offensive line coach J.B. Grimes will spend the bye week being honored by his alma mater.

Saturday, Grimes will return to Arkadelphia, Ark., to be inducted into the Henderson State University Hall of Honor.

“I’m really looking forward to going back,” he said this summer. “It’s such an honor.”

Grimes played guard on the HSU offensive line from 1973-76.

He was a three-time conference champion and earned all-conference honors during the 1976 season. While Grimes was in uniform, the Reddies won 40 games and played for an NAIA national championship, feats for which Grimes takes very little credit.

If it's true that DP won't be ready for another few weeks, he will have missed 4, maybe 5 games by then. That's basically half the season. Throw in another week to get back to game speed, and DP would basically have about half of a senior season. That's not the type of finish anyone wants to have, and it doesn't do KU any good if he's not 100%.

If they knew he'd be available after the bye, I think the decision would be different, but without that knowledge, I think you have to trust this decision is best.

Besides, DP doesn't play defense to my knowledge, and that's where our issues are at right now.

Far from given up, since 1 player, especially a WR, doesn't make a team. A little different if it were a QB, but not so much other positions. Redshirting is just too big a part of FB, tho usually for freshmen.

It sort of sounds like Terry's problem last year, so calling it earlier rather than later could also be seen as proactive and challenging to those behind DP.

It also reminds me of Little RS his first Sr yr, and part of the motivation there was giving him the time to finish his degree. I would imagine Gill has some personal feelings toward that, since he finished his degre at NTSU after finishing his scholie at NU w/o a degree.

2 players spending the off season goofing off and making silly videos... 2 players hurt...you tell me...

And maybe Grimes should be putting time in at work instead of 3 day trips during the bye week. Granted the Henderson State Hall of Fame is special;) especially with the (almost) 40 year waiting period, but we need coaches with their players and in the film room getting better.

DP is 1 of 2. AJ hasn't been hurt. Tell you what, that you're making the same ignorant comments/insinuations that have no basis in fact?

The Grimes comment is in the same ballpark. Because part of their lives is shared in the media, you extrapolate to ignorance. The NCAA limits the amount of time the coaches can spend with players, so Grimes is taking a little of the time that he can't spend with players and is spending it a few hours away at his alma mater. It's nice that they planned ahead for KU's bye week to honor his efforts. Sounds a bit like what KU has done in recent years with bringing Riggins and others back.

At first, the T-shirt reminded me of the KSU BB video from a couple years ago, but just now remembered - "We Shucked the World". Someone probably has a link. It does suck to be on the other end of a national record (or 3), tho the t-shirt concept seems more reasonable after decades of futility and not just one upset. My guees is that Long's lesson has also been mentioned to our players in a meeting, since GT didn't take kindly to comparisons with HS O's.

i don't know how you can quantify it. we don't have Dreamius Smith and Phil Ford this year either...because they didn't qualify....are those two in your 13 number? What about DeShaund Sands? it seems like there's a couple of others as well.....so the number isn't set.

That might be okay, and then put Patterson in the Defensive backfield next year.

We have Jackson and Sheperd.

Patterson at CB? Well, He has a year to learn how to play it. Gill, are you listening? It's either that or you recruit heavy on Defense for a couple of years.

BB is red shirting meaning he'll have two years of eligibility after Webb graduates. Our offensive backfield is loaded and will be around for 3 or 4 years.

DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE.

You might also want to tell them to stay on their feet and tackle through the guy with the ball instead of grabbing at their feet. Get them in the right position, and lets get rid of this "word of the week stuff". Make it a phrase of every week, "CHIP ON THE SHOULDER".

If this Defense doesn't get fixed, it doesn't matter how good the offense is.